A 13-year-old girl survived a shooting in Michigan after calling 911 despite being shot four times and witnessing the deaths of her mother and brother, police and her family said. The girl, identified as “Bella” by a person claiming to be her grandfather, David Everitt, remains the only known surviving victim of Friday’s shootings in Lake Township.

Everitt said in a Facebook post that Bella was taken to a hospital in Grand Rapids, where she was “clinging to life”. “Amanda and her son eric went home to be with god and our granddaughter Bella is clinging to life in a Grand Rapids hospital,” he wrote.

He said Bella had been shot four times but still managed to call 911 and identify the shooter. “God be with you Amanda and Eric and prayers for Bella who while shot 4 times still managed to call 911 and identify the shooter. She is a hero,” he wrote.

Michigan State Police said officers responded just before noon on Friday to reports of a shooting at a home in Missaukee County, about 170 miles north-west of Detroit.

Three people were found dead at the property and another person was critically injured and taken to hospital.

Police said the suspect, 39-year-old Chad Hickman, had fled before officers arrived.

As officers searched for him, they found a fourth person dead at another home. Hickman’s vehicle was later discovered in a wooded area near Whitlock Lake. Authorities found Hickman’s body there, along with another dead person.

In total, five victims and the suspect died in the shootings, police said.

Police had warned residents on X that Hickman was armed and dangerous and urged people not to approach him. Investigators were working through the night to process the different crime scenes.

“This situation is heartbreaking for the community and challenging for the investigators involved,” Lt Ashley Miller said.

Police have so far identified the victims only as a 45-year-old man, a 40-year-old woman and a 16-year-old boy.

The Everitt family identified the woman as Amanda Everitt, 40, and the teenager as her son, Eric. Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer said she had been briefed on the shooting and was monitoring the situation. “My thoughts are with the victims, their families, and the Missaukee community,” she said.